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People got hooked to the characters because of strong writing and concept: Ashok Saraf on 'Hum Paanch' making a comeback during Coronavirus lockdown

The Coronavirus pandemic has caused havoc across the world. With the number of infected multiplying each day, the Central, as well as the State Governments across India, decided to impose a complete shutdown to curb the impact and eradicate the disease forever. Now, as people are locked down inside their homes, popular general entertainment channels are re-launching iconic shows from the 90s as a proxy to no new episodes on ongoing programs. After Doordarshan re-running Ramayan, Mahabharat, Shaktimaan and others, Zee TV has brought the classic Hum Paanch back on the television screens. As per reports, the re-telecast is scheduled for every noon starting April 13. Talking about Hum Paanch returning after two decades, Ashok Saraf who immortalised the role of Anand Mathur, told a leading daily that when the concept is strong, a show doesn't need to depend on technology. He further added that Imtiaz Patel, the writer, wrote characters is such a manner that people got hooked on to them naturally.

"When your concept is so strong, you don't need technology. The script of Hum Paanch was extremely powerful, written by Imtiaz Patel. He has written the characters so well, people got hooked with each of them. Imtiaz's work was the height of improvisation. Imtiaz Patel was so talented that he could write one episode on a single line that he read in a newspaper," Ashok told.

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Starring Shoma Anand, Vidya Balan, Amita Nangia, Rakhee Tandon, Bhairavi Raichura and Vandana Pathak with Ashok, Hum Paanch was loved by the audience. Sharing his experience of working on the show, Ashok told that the team was like one happy family and everyone used to be excited to be on the sets. "We were one happy family. We couldn't keep track of time as when we started shooting until we used to pack up. And then we used to wait for the next day. Everyone used to be so happy and excited on the sets," the veteran actor added.

Asked whether Hum Paanch's remake is a good idea, the veteran actor clearly refused saying it is an impossible task. "It's impossible to make Hum Paanch again. Some people tried again but it was a failure. You need the same writers and directors to execute the show. You would also need the same actors who played their characters with all their hearts. It's not that easy to do comedy. Not everyone can do it," he said.

Speaking about the change in the definition of comedy, Ashok said, "These days, you don't even see comedy serials. No writes such kind of comedy serials anymore. People crack PJs and they laugh at it. Things have changed now. The generation has also changed and maybe their taste has also changed along with it. That is also fine. We can't say anything bad about that."

Hum Paanch was directed by Kapil Kapoor Rajat Rawail Sameer Kulkarni Raju Parsekar and Rajan Waghdhare. It was produced by Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor. The show aired from 1995 to 1999.

(Source: Mumbai Mirror/Telly Chakkar)

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